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(No Model.)

J. A. MOGILL. OOMPENSATING STAY ROLLER FOR SLIDING DOORS.

Patented May '7, 1896. F7 a: 13 'E.

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JOHNSTON A. MOGI LL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 538,691, dated May 7, 1895. Application filed April 18, 1894. Serial No. 507,95'7- (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHNSTON A. MoGILL, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, having declared my intention of becoming acitizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compensating Stay-Rollers and Guides for Sliding Doors, of which the following is. a specification.

Heretofore in sliding house doors the same have either been mounted toslide upon overhead tracks or run upon tracks provided at the bottom of the pocket into which the door slides, but so far as I am aware no provision has been made for holding the doors on the track and allowing for settling of the building and shrinkage of the door and its casement. Hence, should the building settle so as to incline the track great difficulty is experienced in adjusting the door to a position intermediate of its extreme positions; and such adjustment is had only by proppingand interposing a barrier in the path of the door,

Moreover, such doors as usually hung after a time become loose relative to their guides and mountings and frequently jump the track oceasioning vexation and annoyance in placing the same back into an operative position.

The purpose of the present invention is the provision of a compensating guide which will automatically adjust itself to any variation between the top and bottom edges of thesliding door and the corresponding guides which direct the movements of the said door. In' its preferred form of construction the com-7 pensating guide is designed to be fitted in a mortise in the top edge of the door and operates in conjunction with the top guide. Ob viously,it may be located in any relative position where it will serve to hold the door on its track or mountings.

The improvement consists of the novel features and the peculiar construction and combination of the parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and which are shown in the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sliding door mounted on a track in the usual manner and equipped with the compensatinguide. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line YY of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is an end view of the device. Fig. 4. is a modification showing a single roller, the central guide-pin being dispensed with.

Similar letters refer to corresponding parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings the letter a represents a block or frame having vertical openings M to receive adjusting screws 0. The inner portions of the openings M are enlarged to form sockets m which receive springs o. Rollers D are mounted in the blocks, one near each side, and are adapted to travel on the upper guide of the easement in which the door slides. a guide pin E having a threaded stem e which enters a correspondingly threaded opening in the block so as to be readily detached when it is not required to use the guide pin. This guide pin is located between the rollers and projects beyond the plane of the upper surface thereof to enter the usual groove F provided in the overhead guide F of the casement by means of which the door is steadied in its sliding movements. In some cases the guide F has no groove F and molding or strips are provided, one on each side of the plane of the door, to guide the latter in its sliding movements. In these cases theguide pin E is dispensed with and the two rollers D may be replaced by a single roller D as shown in Fig. 4. The breadth of the roller Between these rollers is located D will depend upon the size of the compensator and may be made as wide as desired.

' A plate B forming a resistance orstop for the outer ends of the springs c, has threaded openings to receivev the threaded ends of the set screws 0 by means of which the plate is adjustably attached to the block at. These set screws pass loosely through the openings M and are constructed to be rotated by a suitable instrument applied to their heads to properly posit-ion the block and plate and obtain the required tension on the springsc. These springs c are mounted on the set. screws 0 and are confined between the plate B and the inner ends of the sockets m and serve to press the block a outward so that the rollers carried thereby will at all times travel on the guide provided for this purpose.

In the drawings the compensator is shown applied to a sliding door A provided with grooved rollers N to travel on a track 0 in the well known manner. There will be as many compensators for a door as found necessary, usually two being sufiicient which are disposed one near each end, as shown. A mortise A is provided in the top edge of the door to receive the compensator, and openings A are sunk in the bottom of the mortise to receive the projecting ends of the set screws 0. The compensator is dropped into the mortise which is of such a size as to snugly fit and embrace the sides thereof holding it in place without any fastenings. The plate 13 rests on the bottom of the mortise. The parts must be so disposed that when the door is slid home in the pocket in the partition or casement the springs 0 will be compressed so as to hold the rollers D against the guide F within certain limits. The compression of the springs 0 must be to such a degree as to allow for settlement of the track 0, shrinkage of the door A and other variations and causes which usually result in a loose fitting sliding door. These springs expand and serve to keep the rollers of the compensator in intimate contact with the guide F thereby maintaining a snug fit of the door against the guides between which it slides.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. A compensating stay roller and guide for sliding doors, comprising a block having a rotary engaging surface, a plate, a spring between the plate and block, and a set screw for regulating the tension of the spring.

2. A compensating stay roller and guide for sliding doors, comprising a block having a rotary engaging surface, a plate, springs between the plate and the block and let into sockets in the latter, and set screws loosely mounted in the block and screwed plate, substantially as specified.

3. A compensating stay roller and guide for sliding doors, comprising a block having a 1'0- tary engaging surfaceand a guide pin, a plate, and a spring for pressing the plate and block apart, substantially as described.

4. A compensating stay roller and guide for sliding doors comprising a block having a rotary engaging surface, and having vertical openings which are enlarged to form sockets, springs let into the sockets, a plate having threaded openings, and set screws passing loosely through the vertical openings in the block and screwing into the said threaded openings in the plate, substantially as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 16th day of April, 1894.

JOHNSTON A. MCGILL.

Witnesses:

P. LEOONTE, NINA McGILL.

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